The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-10-26
Is it Spfte at AbbevilIe? Pals it Inefii-
cheney In Management ?...Or, is
1t Business PRINCIPLES?
1t BuSinI

Although Abbevile is one Of the best pay
ing depots on the Columbia & Greenville
railroad, yet we believe II Is q fact that we
have had less accommodations from that
corporation than'any town on the road. For
years we have been forced to wait at Hodges
halt.hour for the down train and then wait
twenty minutes at the same place after the
departure of the up-train; but about q year
ago for some unexplained reason the wait at
Hodges was increased to forty-fve minutes
Last week they were gracious enough to re-
duce the forty-f1ve minutes TO thirty minutes
thirty before the arrival Of the train, and
twenty minutes after the departure Of the
train on the main line. This arrangement
has put the people of Abbeville and the trav-
elling public to the greatest Inconvenience
possible. The consistency with which the
present management seems to strive to In
convenience and disoblige the public must,
In our opinion, come from some spite at this
town, or from an ignorance Of the situation.
For the last year or two the high freights
has done much against the guano trade Of the
town, and 1t can be demonstrated that the ar
bitrary and disobliging course Of the railroad
managers has driven large trade in guanos
to the towns on the rival railroad. Wherever
people buy their guano, there they sell their
cotton and buy their goods. So the railroad
while trying to crush out Abbevillc, has lost
much business, which. under q reasonable
common sense management 1t would have
cotton,
In former times the people OF this town
have been accommodated with extra trains
to Greenwood and Hodges for nominal fig
ures. Two or three weeks ago the Cantata
Club desired to 60 to Greenwood. SO was
the price asked for the use of the Abbeville
train to Greenwood-a distance OF twenty
miles. The Cantata Club could have gone on
the regular train, stopped at the hotel, paid
their bills in full, for much less money. The
wonder to US is. how practical business men
will allow their business to be managed in
such way. or course the extra train was
not secured, and the club did not go. Was
not O fair price and a good compensation
lost to the company by inefficient manage
ment?
Another matter. Last Monday o load Of
granite blocks was empticd from farmers
wagon in front of the Court House. Upon
enquiry, we learned the following facts:
Messrs. j. w. Sign, J. w. Wells and B. f.
Smith, contractors for the addition to the
Court House, had ordered some forty-nine
blocks from tho quarry near Greenwood
The railroad was asked for It's terms. Six
teen cents hundred pounds was the sched-
ule price, from which there could be no devia-
tion. The quarry was some four miles Green
wood, and the blocks must be hauled that
| far, for which wagoners there proposed to
charge s27. To come by the railroad, the
| freight on the blocks would have been as fol-
| lows, itemized:
Wagon hire to Greenwood ...................S 200
Railroad freight on 1000 lbs a at 16c... 4S.00
Drayage at Abbcville .......... ........... 1000
$500
Farmer Collins learned the circumstances,
and he proposed to lay the stone down In
| front Of the Court House for $50. Did not
spite at Abbeville and the lack Of business
principles in the management lose to the
Railroad something in this instance? The
distance from the quarry to Abbeville is Is
miles. From Greenwood, 20 miles. So Mr..
Collins, with his wagon and team, laid down
the granite In front of the Court House for
Sl2 more than the railroad proposed TO charge
for delivering them at the depot Delivered
at the depot an additional expense OF slO
would be incurred.
In the matter Of hauling the rock we 90
! not begrudgo the job to Mr.. Collins. we